Calling for punt late in tight game was safe move, but calling play for 1st down proved to be right one

Three-and-a-half days had passed since the new coach had taken the eye-opening chance that defines his first venture into the Bears-Packers rivalry. Three-and-a-half-days later, Trestman still wasn't convinced his daring decision was as big a deal as everyone was making it.

Fourth-and-1, inside the Bears 35.

Fourth quarter, less than eight minutes left.

Why wouldn't you punt here?

With the lead? On the road?

Under the spotlight of "Monday Night Football"?

Seems gutsy to go for it. What if it fails?

Yet in the moment, Trestman felt the urge to reel his punting unit back and issue the order to deploy "Sprint 39 Zeus," a run off left end out of a three-tight end set pulled directly from the playbook's "Fourth down to win" section.

The result: Matt Forte's tough 3-yard gain.

That call and that run produced a huge first down on a critical scoring drive that sealed a momentous 27-20 victory.

Trestman shrugged about the decision immediately afterward.

"I can't say there was great analytical reasoning involved," he said.

And on Friday, as he tried to detail the thought matrix that led to that decision, Trestman eventually settled on his most straightforward explanation.

"Just seemed like the thing to do," he said.

Maybe Trestman shouldn't be typecast as just an offensive savant, a critical thinker, a serene supervisor. Maybe he has been proving all along he has stones to go with his studies.

Eight games into his tenure, Trestman's acumen, his boldness, his proclivity for taking calculated risks have given the Bears a three-way share of first place in the NFC North.

Said Bears general manager Phil Emery: "The older I get, the more I've realized it's the people who are the perceived brainiacs who use that (strength), and it's exactly how they'll kick your butt.

"That's their edge. That's Marc's edge."

Chances are

During Emery's winter interviewing process for a new coach, Trestman's intelligence, composure and leadership mesmerized him. But those qualities also were attached to a wick of competitiveness.

"Because of that competitiveness," Emery said, "it doesn't surprise me he's willing to take risks. And he's unique with how he uses his competitiveness to bring people together in the pursuit of a shared win."

Keep in mind, Monday night wasn't the first time Trestman's boldness had surfaced. The Bears are 5-for-7 converting fourth downs this season.

Remember Week 1 when they passed up a potential 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have brought them within 21-20 of the Bengals? Trestman sensed his team needed more, and Forte delivered an 8-yard run to extend a game-winning touchdown drive.

Two weeks later, rather than let Robbie Gould boot a 19-yard chip shot for a 13-0 first-quarter lead in Pittsburgh, Trestman again relied on his wits and guts. So on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Michael Bush plowed behind fullback Tony Fiammetta to score a statement touchdown.

In Week 6, on the opening drive against the Giants, Trestman gave the green light again on fourth-and-2 from the Giants 4. That gamble failed with a Jay Cutler-to-Brandon Marshall incompletion.

Still, it was additional evidence of Trestman's nerve.

"We spend time as a staff talking about these moments and making sure we're not just winging it," he said. "There is so much thought and discussion and so many factors that contribute to each and every one of those decisions."

Trestman's willingness to roll the dice has remained obvious this week with his calculations on whether to play Cutler. It's a risk, sure, to send Cutler out to start only 21 days after he tore a groin muscle and only three days after he returned to practice. But Trestman has done a thorough evaluation, assured by doctors that Cutler is medically OK and confirming that assertion with his own observation.

This too seems to him like a chance worth taking.

The Reward

Officially, Monday's most chancy play went into the NFL's game book as follows:

4-1-CHI 32 (7:50) M.Forte left end to CHI 35 for 3 yards (N.Palmer).

In many ways, that's how Trestman prefers cataloging and compartmentalizing it — as one of 75 offensive plays the Bears ran, each recorded in the same type and the same font size, each holding the same importance.

But then why have so many others seen that one play as so much bigger, potentially a seminal moment in the season?

The only Bears coach to win a Super Bowl believes the ripple effect could be huge.

"By doing what he did there, Marc showed great confidence in his football team," Mike Ditka said. "I think that's what they need. They needed somebody to say, 'Hey we can do this. We can make these 4 inches. We can win this game.' That's impressive stuff."

The offensive coordinator who aided Trestman's decision-making process understands the rush that resulted.